New Delhi, September 6, 2024 – Neeraj Chopra, India’s acclaimed javelin thrower and two-time Olympic medalist, has secured his place in the Diamond League season finale after finishing fourth in the overall standings. The finale is set to take place on September 13 and 14 in Brussels.
Chopra accumulated 14 points from two second-place finishes in the Diamond League’s one-day meets in Doha and Lausanne. He did not compete in the final series meet in Zurich on Thursday. Despite his absence from Zurich, Chopra’s consistent performance throughout the season ensured his spot in the prestigious finale.
In the overall standings, Chopra is two points behind Czechia’s Jakub Vadlejch. Grenada’s Anderson Peters leads the standings with 29 points, while Germany’s Julian Weber is in second place with 21 points. Peters had narrowly edged out Weber in Zurich.
The 26-year-old Chopra, who clinched gold at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics and silver at the Paris 2024 Olympics, has been contending with a persistent groin injury this season. This injury has impeded his efforts to achieve the coveted 90-meter mark. Chopra finished second in the Lausanne leg, where Peters threw 90.61 meters, and was bested by Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem’s 92.97 meters in Paris.
Chopra has expressed his intention to focus on recovery and technical improvements in the coming months. “My first goal is to get my groin completely healed and improve my technique to throw farther again,” he said last month.
In previous Diamond League seasons, Chopra won the Lausanne leg in 2022 and 2023 and finished second behind Vadlejch in the Eugene, USA finale last year. The Diamond League season finale awards the champion with a prestigious “Diamond Trophy,” USD 30,000 in prize money, and a wild card entry for the World Athletics Championships.
The Brussels finale will mark the conclusion of Chopra’s season as he aims to end on a high note.
